Fake It
by Celestial Moonlight Blade
Summary: post GoF pre OotP. Harry, still reeling from Cedric's death, reading about being called a delusional attention seeker and knowing everyone'd denial about Voldemort's return decides that the only way he'll survive this is if he fakes his death and leaves Britain. How will this affect the war?
1. Chapter 1

**Fake It**

**Moon: This idea's been nagging at me for the longest time. You can thank arekay's excellent fic Harry Potter and the Power of Paranoia, which I highly recommend, for giving the idea, though I plan to execute it differently. Well, I hope you all enjoy it as much as Runaway and Trouble. I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 1: Death**

Harry Potter had gotten as low as he thought he could be.

He had just had an exceptionally difficult year. He'd been forced to participate in the potentially fatal Tri-Wizard Tournament, which had ended with him being kidnapped, forced to witness Cedric Diggory's murder and the revival of Voldemort, forced to duel him and endure a bout of Crucio before finally escaping by the skin of his teeth, only to be sent back to the Dursley house without a word of comfort.

So they he lay, day after day trying to process the guilt of the older boy's death with absolutely no outside help when his grief unravelled some memories that had been repressed by a charm.

Ron and Hermione had believed that he had put his name in the Goblet, but Ginny and the Greengrass sisters, Daphne and Astoria, hadn't. They had helped him through the various tasks, and he had gotten very close to all three of them, but then right before the Third Task someone had Obliviated him and most likely the girls too, making him believe that Ron and Hermione had helped him instead.

Harry wasn't sure who had cast the spell and why, but he wasn't thinking about that right now. Though the removal of their presence certainly made things more difficult for him.

What he was thinking about was the fact that no one was telling him anything, or saying anything that might help him.

All his friend's letters were prattling on about school and the Chudley Cannons and anything but the elephant in the room. They didn't tell him anything about what the Order was doing or what Voldemort was up to.

He'd begged for news, for help, anything, but even Sirius had said that they couldn't, and to just hold on until they saw each other next. This only made Harry feel even worse. Now someone had died just for being near him at the wrong time.

Even Petunia was noticing how down he was. In her single display of kindness towards Harry for as long as he could remember, she said that he didn't have to do all the chores until he had more energy.

Harry sat on his bed, shut up in his room, staring at the wall, tears rolling down his cheeks. He'd just woken from another nightmare about Cedric's death. It wasn't fair...Cedric had deserved better than that. He was the real Hogwarts champion...he shouldn't have been dragged into Harry's hellish, deadly life. Dead at seventeen.

He ran his fingers through his tangled black hair. Voldemort was back. It was an inescapable fact. Who would die next? What if it was Daphne or Ginny or Sirius? What if the Burrow was attacked next, or Hogwarts? And despite what Dumbledore always said Harry didn't believe that Hogwarts was very safe; he'd nearly died there several times over the past few years. And there were so many other students in that building...would they all die?

Voldemort would never stop until he was dead...it had never occurred to Harry exactly what that might mean before. Now he did. Even if he lost all his followers and all his limbs Voldemort would still drag his way towards Harry out of pure spite.

No one would ever be safe around him, until Harry was dead, or Riddle was.

The sheer weight of this thought crushed all the air out of his lungs. Merlin, he wasn't ready for this. He could barely defend himself, let alone others. How could he do this? How? He'd barely survived each of his encounters with Riddle...he had been very lucky, but luck always runs out.

Harry curled up in the far corner of his bed and let himself, slowly, painfully, cry.

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A few hours later when he'd finally run out of tears Harry decided to think carefully about the position he was in.

"I can't rely on any of my friends...that would put them in danger. Besides, they aren't telling me a single damn thing, despite the very real fact my life is on the line. Damn it. I expected this kind of behaviour from Ron after how he reacted to my name being called from the cup but somehow I figured Hermione wouldn't do that. I guess I didn't know my friends as well as I thought I did. Well, I guess that leaves just me."

"Well, each time Riddle has made a strike at Hogwarts or anywhere else is because he's trying to get at me. Maybe I should leave the country. Does the wizarding world have witness protection? Somehow I don't think so." Harry watched his shoes. "I wonder how far he's gotten, rebuilding his forces...how much time do I have?"

"Damn it...Riddle has almost seventy years of experience on him. No matter how much I train unless I have years there's no way we'd be even near even-footing. There was mum's protection, but now that Voldemort used my blood to resurrect himself that can't protect me the way it used to."

"There's the Order, but how big is it? Dumbledore was the only man Voldemort ever feared, but every single time I've faced Voldemort I've done it alone. Maybe there's a reason for that. Maybe he can't help me for some reason. And if that's true..." Harry shook his head. He didn't like where that thought process was going and stopped it.

Harry looked over at the table where he had stacked a pile of the summer Prophet editions. He'd looked at the Headlines for news, but when nothing had sprung out at him he hadn't read past the cover. But maybe...

_Maybe there's more minor news that I've missed. After all, there's more than just the cover stories. _

Harry collected his newspapers and decided to read through them, story by story.

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A few hours later Harry threw the last newspaper down, no longer sad but angry. After everything he'd been through he was being called a delusional attention-seeking liar. This was conveniently ignoring the fact that he'd been very outspoken about how much he hated his fame! This was ridiculous. Insane. Why would he lie about something this important?

Harry was pacing in his room now. Lucius...Lucius Malfoy probably had something to do with this, Fudge listened to him...yeah, that made sense. Now no one would believe him when he said that Voldemort was back.

And with his friends and family not telling him anything, that meant he was completely on his own.

He was dead meat.

Harry halted his pacing, forcing himself to think of an alternative – any alternative. Because if he was alone against Voldemort and his death eaters, he was going to die. Slowly. Painfully.

And then one came to him.

_I could die. _

Not literally. Voldemort would never stop hunting him so long as he lived. But if he thought he was dead...well, you couldn't hunt a dead person. After all, they were dead. That would be perfect.

Harry James Potter was going to fake his death.

He resumed his pacing, mind whirling as he considered this monumental task.

There were a lot of things he would have to set up to make his death convincing enough to fool not just the muggle authorities, but the magical ones as well. It wouldn't be simple, but Harry figured he could pull it off if he covered everything.

First, he was going to need a body. His first thought was just to transfigure a log into a lookalike for himself, but a magical autopsy could reveal that in no time. It would have to appear close to human. He'd have to destroy it beyond recognition, but with just enough evidence left over for them to identify it as him. He'd need DNA samples, fake hair, glasses. He'd dress it in his old clothes and buy himself some new ones. It would have to be human, and his size and weight, give or take maybe a few pounds. It would have to give the smell of burnt flesh. Maybe...maybe the goblins could help. He'd owl them.

Second, he'd need a method of death, something very final and complete. Maybe he could be bludgeoned to death? Perhaps...no, he needed something a bit more conclusive. Hit by a truck? But that may not batter the fake body enough, and imagine the reaction of the poor driver. Fire? Yeah. That would do it. He would set the body in his room and burn number 4 Privet Drive to the ground. He could wait until his three relatives were out of the house and gab the three propane tanks Vernon kept in the basement. It would be easy enough.

Then there was the question of any magical tracking. He called Dobby and consulted with him for a few minutes. Apparently, the Trace was just a story parents told their kids to keep them from using magic near muggles. What actually happened was that the Ministry put monitoring spells around the houses where muggleborns and halfbloods lived to make sure they didn't use magic. So as soon as he was out of the house they couldn't follow him. That was a relief.

There was also the matter of his estate. Being the last heir to the Potter fortune, he was entitled to will it to anyone he wished should something bad happen to him. He'd have to write a will first, and for that he'd need a listing of exactly what he owned. Another reason to go to Gringotts. It was high time he found out exactly what belonged to him anyway.

He would set up a place/false person/charity of some sort where he'd send most of his money, for himself to live on wherever he went. The rest would go to his friends.

His friends...he couldn't tell them about what he was going to do. They could give it away, and then he might as well have done nothing. Harry felt a twinge when he thought about what it would most likely do to Sirius, Remus and the girls if he were to die...

...Perhaps he should build in a backdoor for them to visit when it was safe. It was simple fact that they had a much better chance of winning this war without being targeted because of him. It hurt to know how much this would hurt them, but he didn't see any other choice at this point.

Speaking of the circumstances of his death. What should he go for? Tragic accident? Homicide? Robbery gone wrong? Heroic last stand, dying after being attacked by a Death Eater?

He'd have to provide another body for that...or maybe just a mask and some blood. Yeah. That would do it. He liked that plan; made the most sense for a young wizard to go out that way than in a confrontation with a muggle. Just enough evidence to make the scene clear.

Harry was aware that he represented something to the wizarding world. If he, the boy who lived, was murdered by a death eater...maybe Dumbledore could use his death as a rallying point. Knowing the old man, that's probably exactly what he'd do. Hell, maybe he even had that in mind, having given Harry so little training, refusing to tell him anything important. Harry pushed the thought aside and continued to plan.

Where would he go after this? Not within Britain itself, there was a good chance he could be discovered...somewhere close? France? Germany? Italy? He had always wanted to visit Italy, but it was still close to Britain, and Voldemort had gone to the countries around Britain to collect allies before. No, perhaps he should go overseas. The USA? Canada?

Canada. It was a fairly inconspicuous country, had a steady economy, and Harry doubted that someone would think, _boy who lived faked his death? Let's check out Canada! _So Canada it was.

Now. What about his stuff? He should probably leave his trunk and most of its contents here to burn; it would be suspicious if he was attacked and none of his school supplies were in the house. He could buy more later. How about Hedwig? He could take her with him; after all he often sent her out on flights for a few days. Definitely; he didn't want to be separated from his companion.

Name. He'd need a new name and a new history when he got to his new country. If he lived muggle it would be easy to conjure up the documents necessary. So, what was his name going to be? Should it be close to his real name? No. That might be a giveaway...what to call himself...and suddenly, a name came to him.

"Matthew. Matthew Winter." He decided. He liked the sound of that.

Did that cover everything?

Harry got to his feet and looked around his room. He'd have to make it look like there had been a struggle here, too. Break a few things, pull some wallpaper down. He should also put a few days between his visit to Gringotts and his 'demise' by the fire. Now he needed to set up.

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Harry had a hood over his head when he walked through Gringotts to speak with his account manager. He didn't want anyone to see him; there was an air of urgency to him as he walked through the building and into the room where he would write his will.

"Your request will be easy enough to grant, Mr. Potter." Griphook said, handing Harry the sheets he'd need to write his will. "This isn't the first time a vault owner has asked for this kind of assistance."

"I'm glad to hear it." Harry said, his eyes skimming the documents that showed the Potter estate. Frankly, he was amazed. He had no idea the Potters had this kind of money and property. He had known his family was an old one, but _wow_.

He took the quill and began writing, making measures of what to send to who. He had a fairly good idea of what to do, so it wasn't that difficult. He spent an hour completing it before turning his attention back to Griphook. "Can I set up a vault in Canada to access when I get there?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter. We'll file the transfer right away."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, noble goblin. Now, I need to exchange some gallons for muggle money."

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Booking airport tickets ahead of time had been easy enough; he simply booted up Dudley's desktop computer and looked at his options. There was a nine oclock flight to Canada tonight. There was a section of the plane for pets; it was more expensive than he was expecting, but he could still manage it. If he pushed it, he could make it. He printed his tickets.

Hedwig watched him in confusion as he darted in and out of the different rooms, coming back with a backpack of Dudley's that he had never used.

Harry put the body the goblins had given him on the bed. It was uncanny how much it resembled him; Harry shuddered and avoided looking at it as much as possible. He put his glasses on it and put in his contacts. He double-checked his timetable – Vernon was still at work, Petunia was out at her bridge club and Dudley was visiting Piers. They wouldn't be home for two hours.

Harry then pulled out the cracked Death Eater masks and stared at them for a second. A symbol of the nightmare his life had become. With luck, this would be the last time he ever saw one. He dropped them on the floor near the fake body.

With his bag packed, Harry ran down into the basement and collected the propane tanks. He set all three of them in his room, and poured gasoline along the floor and down the hall like a fuse line.

Grabbing Hedwig and his invisibility cloak, Harry gave one last look at the house that had been his prison for all his life. Then walked over to the stairs, lit a match, and dropped it on the end of the gasoline line.

Harry bolted down the hall, Hedwig flapping in protest as her cage swung about. He had just launched himself out of the door when the house exploded into flame.

Harry watched the house burn for three seconds before turning and running down the street, the shouting of the neighbours sounding behind him.

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Eventually, the smoke and fire faded into the distance. Harry's feet hurt from running, but his heart was pounding.

He'd done it; Harry James Potter was dead. The goblins would make sure of it. Soon, the whole wizarding world would know he was gone.

He was free. Completely and utterly free.

This knowledge made Harry giddy like a schoolgirl. He jumped onto the bus to the airport, paid his fare and sat down, putting Hedwig's cage on his knees. The bus drove off into the early evening.

It took hours for him to get through customs; Harry had almost forgotten what it was like to travel the muggle way. Hedwig didn't look too thrilled at the thought of travelling by plane; Harry would have to make it up to her with treats when they reached their destination.

When the plane took off Harry thought, again, of his friends. He'd set up the backdoor for them to find him when it was safe to; hopefully it wouldn't be too long from now.

_Good luck, _he thought.

**End Chapter**

**Okay, this is the last we'll see of Harry for a little, mainly I want to focus on how this affects Britain. It's a bit short, but the next few chapters will be longer. So how do you like it?**

**Read and Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Fake It**

**Moon: Hello, I'm back and thanks to everyone who reviewed! I do not own Harry Potter!**

**Chapter 2: Shockwaves**

Sirius was woken by Remus. He was about to let his friend have it for waking him up so early when he saw the man's expression. "Remus? What's happened?" He asked, alert immediately.

"Fire...Privet Drive...Harry.." Remus was inarticulate, something Sirius hadn't seen in a long time. He'd always been so calm and levelheaded, even in emergencies. "Dumbledore...called Order meeting...Tonks went to look...hasn't had news..."

Sirius sprang to his feet, blood roaring to his ears. Fire? At Privet Drive? What had happened? Dumbledore said that it was the safest place for Harry! "And Harry?"

"Don't know...come on, Sirius..." Remus needed not to give him any prompting; Sirius was haring out the door and down the stairs a minute later.

The entire Order was in the living room, staring at the door and exchanging pieces of news, looking anxious. The tension in the air was so thick it was almost suffocating. Dumbledore was standing in the centre, telling everyone to remain calm and that it was probably nothing. The twinkle in his eye made Sirius want to push the old bugger. Harry, his godson, was in trouble, and that old man had the nerve to tell him to stay calm?

It seemed to take forever, but Tonks did re-emerge. It wasn't pretty.

She lurched into the house, completely heedless to having set off his mother's portrait. There were tears streaking down her face. She was shaking.

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

"Oh god...everywhere...Harry...he-"

She was immediately swarmed by the people in the house, Ginny in the lead – the girl had appeared at the top of the stairwell at the mention of Harry's name, and at Tonk's teary expression had come down the stairs so quickly she may as well have Apparated. "What happened?"

"Where's Harry?"

"Why are you covered in soot?"

"What's going on?"

"Why isn't he with you?"

Evidently, the verbal assault was too much for the emotionally strained Tonks to take, because she went from muttering "He, he, he..." to screaming, "HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!"

That silenced the room immediately. You could have heard a pin drop on a mattress in the next city over. The words hung in the air like a rockslide about to fall. They seemed to echo, a wave of shock and then disbelief spread through the Order. Ron, Hermione, Fred and George all appeared at this phrase, looking stunned.

Oddly enough, it was the youngest who found her voice first.

Ginny slowly shook her head, staring at Tonks. "N-No. That can't be. I owled him two days ago, he was f-fine. You must have made a mistake."

When Tonks said nothing, the youngest Weasley grabbed her wrist. "You made a mistake, Tonks! Tell me you made a mistake!" She begged.

Tonks was shaking her head, tears dripping off her cheeks. "There was a fire...he was alone in the house...he...he didn't get out."

"No." Ginny muttered. When Tonks merely stared tearfully back at her, her voice began to rise steadily, "No no no no no! NO! HARRY!"

"-half bloods and filth, bringing dishonour on my house-"

"SHUT UP!" Ginny screamed at the portrait. There was an enormous crash, and suddenly the wall was quiet. At any other point – literally any other – the Order would have admired her for shutting up the Black matriarch.

The little redhead was getting hysterical. She whirled on Dumbledore. "He's fine! He's got to be! You promised, you said he'd be okay!" She cried, tears starting to come out of her own eyes.

Sirius, who'd been standing rock still the entire time, finally came out of the trance he'd been in. Because Harry couldn't be dead. Not his godson.

Dumbledore shouted, "Sirius!" and Molly gave a distressed cry of "Ginny!" but neither headed them; Sirius shot down the stairs and felt Ginny grab his wrist just before he Disapparated to Privet Drive.

Some small part of Sirius knew it was completely insane for him to go out in the open like this, he was still a wanted criminal, but he didn't care if anyone saw him or told the Ministry, not now, Harry needed him, and he'd go through every Auror in the force to get to him...

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Sirius appeared in Privet Drive, Ginny stumbling and coughing from her first side-along Apparation. The sky was covered in black smoke. There were muggles everywhere, all focused on the scene. There was yellow tape and several white and blue cars parked up and down the street. People were babbling and pointing, and the three Dursleys were standing off to the side staring at their house in shock. Petunia even looked a little teary-eyed.

Ginny whispered, "no," again, this time much quieter. Sirius's throat was tight, no words could escape him. Silently, he walked forward, pushing past the firemen, the neighbours, everything and stared at the burning wreckage of Number 4 Privet Drive. Muggle law enforcement were walking in and out of the house, talking in hushed, grim voices.

There was a larger white-and blue vehicle right in front of the house, called an 'Ambulance'. There was a stretcher in front of it. And on that stretcher...

Sirius broke into a run and saw his worst nightmare, all of Tonk's words were true. His pup, his godson lay burnt and lifeless on the stretcher.

Ginny let out a little scream and rushed towards the body right on Sirius's heels. They pushed past the men trying to hold them back, muttering 'he's family, he's my godson, let me see him!'.

Finally he looked down at the body and there was no denying it anymore. It was Harry.

Ginny stared blankly at the body for a long minute before her legs gave out and she started sobbing hysterically, the force of her tears shaking her tiny frame.

Sirius screamed even louder than when he had seen his best friend dead. Harry was gone. Gone.

_Harry! _

He'd been begging him, for weeks, for comfort, for anything. Begged. The last words he remembered written by his pups hands were words begging him not to abandon him.

This knowledge crushed Sirius's heart worse than anything Azkaban had done to him.

Sirius hadn't cried since he had lost James and Lily, but he cried then, harder than he had in years. He'd failed Harry, so badly, so completely. He should have been there for him! He should have said something – anything helpful! Hell, he should have kidnapped him from that house and taken him to Grimmauld, to hell with what Dumbledore said.

He should have, he should have...

Sirius uttered a choked sob and collapsed backwards. He landed in a chair that a teary-eyed and worried nurse had pulled out for him when she'd seen him walk up to Harry. Another nurse had put a blanket on Ginny's shoulders and was holding the crying girl gently.

"Hey!" One of the muggle police exited what used to be number 4. He was holding something in his hand. "You've got to see this!"

Another man – the chief of police, according to one of the nearby muggles – walked over to the other man and barked, "What is that?"

"I'm not sure, but it has way to much of a resemblance to a KKK mask than I think is a coincidence." The younger muggle reported. "there's also something carved into the wall in the poor kid's room. It says, 'Voldemort Lives'."

"Flight from death," The chief muttered, "think that's some kind of code name?"

"Possibly. But that suggests this was a hit. But why would anyone go after a fifteen year old kid?"

Sirius sat frozen. He stared at the mask the younger police officer was showing his superior. It was cracked and burnt but it was undoubtedly a Death Eater mask.

Death Eaters had killed his godson. They had found him and killed him. He'd been so far away from anyone who could have protected him that he stood no chance.

Ginny made a strangled noise. She had seen it too.

Sirius didn't remember what answer he'd given the muggles or what excuse to leave the area, away from his godson's broken, lifeless body.

They had killed Harry. Those words bounced around the inside of his head. Murdered him.

Sirius's rage and grief was about to explode, though thankfully he had no Wormtail to chase, or her certainly would have gotten himself killed.

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Remus's reaction when Sirius and Ginny finally got back to Grimmauld with the news was to let out an anguished scream that would have shocked anyone who merely knew him casually. He never lost control of his emotions, but Harry had meant very much to him, and too lose him like that...

Molly had been sobbing inconsolably ever since she heard the news, Arthur had remained at her side, staring into the distance as though he couldn't accept the reality of the boy's death.

Ginny had shut herself in her room, spelling the door so no one would come in. Her quiet sobs broke the heart of anyone who heard them.

Ron was simply staring at a wall in shock.

Hermione had been in total denial, and would impress desperately on anyone who would listen that there had to be some way Harry would come back.

Fred and George had been completely silent since his return, not giving even the slightest wisp of the laughter so characteristic of them.

Tonks had been at Remus's side ever since and would glare threateningly through her tears at anyone who dared approach the grieving werewolf.

Moody had vanished to Privet Drive to run a perimeter and see if he could pick up the trail of the one responsible.

Professor McGonagall had been last seen weeping, something so strange in comparison to her usually unshakable character.

The damnable twinkle was gone from Dumbledore's eyes.

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The news of Harry's death spread through the wizarding world like wildfire. It was on the front of every paper. The Daily Prophet immediately dropped the smear campain they'd been working on all summer to be shocked and horrified by the boy's death, and wrote up the message he'd left on the wall.

Apparently this and the mask was suddenly 'clear evidence' of Voldemort's return, since who else would have wished death on such a noble and selfless boy?

Ginny took a moment to be angry at this hypocrisy, something she heatedly discussed with Hermione. The bookworm had been devastated that she ever believed wrongly of Harry and that he died with her turning her back on him for his last memory of her. Ginny wasn't willing to forgive her just yet, but she accepted this.

Fudge was having immense pressure put on him to acknowledge Voldemort's return.

Instead he said, "As you all know You-Know-Who was destroyed...but obviously some of his followers escaped Azkaban, and Harry Potter's earlier defeat of him was enough reason for them to go after him. I'm putting my Auror force into searching for the boy's killers now. The closest suspect we have is notorious mass-murderer Sirius Black, who has gone after the boy before."

"That pathetic bastard, Harry's dead and he still won't admit Voldemort's alive!" Astoria Greengrass snarled when she read this in the paper. "Does Harry really mean that little to these people? !"

Daphne sniffed. They'd both been crying almost nonstop since hearing about Harry's death for reasons neither of them could explain. "I hate it too Ash. It's like it doesn't matter that he's dead, he's just an image and a figurehead to some of them."

Daniel Greengrass watched his two daughters and sighed. He wished he knew how to help his two precious children, but even they didn't know why they were so upset. He thought it was a pity Harry had died; Dumbledore should have put more effort into safeguarding the boy. His family had been neutral in both wars against Voldemort...perhaps it was time for him to pick a side.

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Harry's funeral occurred a week into the school year. It was a lavish affair, with people coming from all over Britain to see him off, dead so young. The day at Hogwarts had been suspended so the teachers and students could see their friend. Many ministry workers had taken the day off to make it. A huge crowd of people had either entered the building or were milling around on the grounds outside, straining to get a look.

If only Harry could have seen this, and known the kind of support he had.

Flowers and wreathes were laid everywhere. The casket was made of unbreakable glass, and an honour guard stood around it so no one unscrupulous would get too close to it. Security around the building where it was taking place was the highest in the country.

Three girls pushed through the crowd and got close. Ginny, Astoria and Daphne stared down at Harry's body and put their hands on the lid of the casket. "Wake up, Harry," They pleaded before they started crying.

People, still reeling in their own grief, watched in pity as the girl's parents gently pulled them aside and held them. The big black dog lying down next to Remus went unnoticed.

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Dumbledore sat down in his office, Harry Potter was gone. It was an undeniable fact. But how would the prophecy be fulfilled now? He needed Harry, as much as he loathed to admit it he couldn't win this war without Harry defeating Voldemort, that's what the prophecy said, right? But now the boy was gone, and there was no way Neville Longbottom would have the same capabilities as Harry had. He needed a new plan...but what could he do?

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Ginny didn't want to see anymore, she wanted to wake up from this nightmare and see her Harry again. But she couldn't. He was gone. The last week had been absolutely merciless about hammering that in, no matter how much she wanted to deny it.

The goblins had summoned her and many others to the reading of Harry's will.

When everyone was inside the room at Gringotts, Griphook activated the dictating will, and several people cried when they heard Harry's voice again.

"If you're reading this, it means something has happened to me." Harry said. "I had this feeling, when Voldemort returned, that I should be making this. I realized that I could die any day now...I hope I defeated him, I hope I got to live a little, before I died..." There was a short pause, like a young boy recomposing himself. "I'm sorry I died. I really am."

Sirius gave a choked laugh. Harry always apologized for things that he had no control over.

"I've had a look at my estate, and I hereby divide it among the following people -"

"To my godfather Sirius Orion Black, I leave one of three vacation homes in Florida and vault 330. I also leave a piece of advice – Sirius, you're like a father to me. Find your witch, start a family, settle down. Be happy." Sirius, tears in his eyes, nodded and accepted his key.

"To Remus John Lupin, I leave Shell Cottage, the surrounding woods and vault 340. Remus, thank you for everything you've done for me. And my advice to Sirius goes double for you. You, of all people, deserve happiness."

"To Dumbledork I leave thirty silver sickles and this to say – stop treating people like expendable pawns. You know Voldemort's alive. Fight him. For real. No more stalling. Please, for me."

"To Professor McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout, I leave vault 350. Its for your Quidditch teams. If I hear that Slytherin won the cup again, I'll haunt your bathrooms worse than Peeves."

"To Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charlie, Fred and George Weasley, I leave vaults 510 through 516. thank you for your kindness to me over the years. Percy, I know you joined the ministry and denied Voldemort's back. Therefore, you get nothing unless you quit the ministry. Ron, you get nothing because you abandoned me. Ginny, there's a little more to your story, so please bear with me."

"To Nymphadora Tonks, yes I said it. I leave you vault 520 and instructions to get a certain werewolf to stop stalling and get in front of a priest. How do I know this? Remus, don't leave your secret love letters lying around – Dobby has a mischievous streak."

Remus's cheeks flushed and Tonks gaped at him, stunned and blushing herself.

"To Severus Snape – hating me because I resemble my father is not very mature of you. However, I leave you vault 530 as thanks for you saving my life all those times." To say Snape looked shocked at this was an understatement. He felt horrible for having failed his promise to Lily to protect her son; he would redouble his efforts into taking down Voldemort as penance.

"To Hermione Granger, I leave vault 440. Your friendship meant a lot to me, you know. I hope you believe me now."

"To Alastar Moody – the real one – I leave vault 450. It's for the Order. Good luck against Voldemort (if I haven't killed him).

"I dedicate most of my remaining assets to my other aunt, Sarah Winter. I never met you, but I read my mother's letters to and about you. I wish I could have known you."

"Finally, Ginny Weasley, and the Greengrass sisters. This might surprise you, but the three of you have been spelled. Ginny has been under a powerful compulsion spell, to see me as nothing more than the boy-who-lived caricature. Astoria and Daphne Greengrass have had their memories of me erased and modified ten times. I leave the three of you vaults 600, 610 and 620 and request you speak to Ragnok about having the spells removed. I'd rather you remember me as I was."

To say Molly was shocked was an understatement; someone had put her darling girl under a compulsion spell? And she'd never noticed? She was angry and unhappy about this, she had considered Harry to be like a son and she should have done more for him. Now she was finding out about a spell put on her daughter from his will. Molly didn't think she was being a very good mother this month.

Daniel Greengrass was floored to hear this, so that was what happened to his children. But who could have done it? He thought Dumbledore was looking particularly shifty; and he was clearly unhappy about what Harry had given him. If he had been the one responsible, there would be hell to pay the minute he could prove it.

Ginny, Daphne and Astoria exchanged a look, teary-eyed and angry, before saying, "Yes. We'd also like to be checked for other spells." Ragnok nodded and gestured for the girls and their parents to follow him into another room.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%%&

Ginny felt like she was in a deep sleep, the images of her repressed memories passing in front of her like a muggle movie. She felt simultaneously overjoyed and deeply depressed; she remembered Harry and his love as it really was but that only served to remind her that he was gone.

Eventually, she and her two unlikely friends woke up. They were each given an envelope. Curious, they opened it. A red (Ginny) green (Daphne) and blue (Astoria) necklace fell out of each envelope, with letter with a single sentence on it reading,

"_If you love me, if you need me, you can find me._"

They exchanged confused looks over this cryptic statement, but kept the necklaces and the letter nonetheless. They didn't know it at the time, but Sirius and Remus had received rings along with the same note attached to it.

The statement would make much more sense a few months later.

**End Chapter**

**...I felt so mean writing this chapter...so sad...**

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Fake It**

**Moon: Hello, I'm back. This chapter's a little shorter, but it's more a mobilization than anything else. That, and I had a bit of a block when I was writing this. Anyway, I don't own Harry Potter, and enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Open War**

_The Ministry of Magic has issued the following decree - _

_The followers of Voldemort, Death Eaters, have sparked civil uprising within our country with their cruel, senseless murder of Harry Potter, the boy who lived. The boy was about to start his fifth year at Hogwarts when the attack occurred, in a heartless attempt to keep him silent about their master's return. I state as the new Minister of Magic that I will not let this death go unpunished. _

_War has been declared on Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort. He will find that every inch of this country is against him, and he will have to pay with blood to achieve even a foothold in our country. We will not give up to this madman quietly._

_The numbers of his followers are not known, neither are their whereabouts. The Magical Law Enforcement arm is going overtime identifying his old sympathizers and new recruits. There have been some sightings of Death Eaters that were covered up by the last Minister. They have been causing terror around the Alleys, near Hogwarts and within the Ministry itself. Lives have been lost. _

_I state on behalf of Magical Britain, we will not tolerate this fear mongering and destruction any longer. Anyone who is caught with the dark mark on their arm will be subject to the dementor's kiss within the hour of their capture, unless they submit to having it removed and give names of their other companions. Their will be no negotiating or prison time or parole. We will not allow Death Eaters to escape justice as many of them did the first time he fell._

_Thus, this notice is going out – every young man above the age of sixteen is required to serve four years as an Auror until such time as all the Death Eaters have been identified and rounded up. Registration begins on September the Twelve._

_And I say this - the Dark Lord was defeated once, he will be defeated again. _

_Page 3, Fudge thrown out of office following Harry Potter's funeral on no confidence vote_

_Page 4, Lucius Malfoy arrested on bribery charges, revealed to be a Death Eater, given the Kiss. Wife and son placed under house arrest, pending invesigation._

_Page 5, questions put out about Sirius Black's missing trail and Peter Pettigrew's supposed death, case has been reopened. _

Far away from Britain in a small town named Beaverton, a boy called Matthew Winter was going through the British newspaper with a look of interest on his face. He was sitting outside a cafe with a steaming mug of hot chocolate in one hand, and a package of school paper in front of him. Canadian autumn was pleasantly cool; his hood was up to keep the wind out of his ears. He tapped his pencil against the page, answering questions between bites of a cinnamon bun.

The boy sitting next to him, Joshua Harkness from the local magical school, glanced over his shoulder at the paper and made a disappointed noise. "So now that the boy-who-lived died they're doing something about it? No wonder no one wants to immigrate there these days."

Matthew made a noise of agreement. "At least the denial didn't last longer than two months. I think if Cornelius Fudge had his way, it would have gone on for much longer."

Joshua snorted. "Man, I've heard all kinds of horror stories about _that _backwards government. Say what you will about Tokyo Lights Comprehensive, at least it doesn't have a body count, right Winter?"

Matthew nodded. He had met Joshua not long after he had arrived in Canada. The boy had been warm and welcoming to him and had helped him find his apartment. He explained that his parents were rarely home and they had offered him a chance to strike out on his own.

What made Canada interesting to him was the fact that wizards lived in right next to their muggle counterparts, rather than apart like in Wizarding Britain. Most magical schools ran in semesters, giving three magical courses and one muggle course right next to each other. Matthew was struggling a bit to catch up, but he'd make it eventually – he was a smart kid, his teachers agreed.

The other students were all friendly, too. It was a level of acceptance that was alien to him, something he'd only really experienced with the Weasley family. It was nice. He'd already made several tentative friends in the week that he'd been here.

Of course, when they had heard that he was transferring from Hogwarts, he'd immediately been slapped with two years worth of remedial classes in Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Talk about embarrassing, especially when the other kids heard about it. It was a huge workload, but he was getting through it, slowly but surely.

It was his math tudor who's pointed him to his psychiatrist Dr. River, who doubled as an Occlumency teacher. Both additions to his life had been very welcome; he hadn't slept this well in years, and he was starting to work through the emotional baggage he'd built up over the years.

"I'm surprised they're doing anything at all, really." He said. "I went there for vacation once with my godfather."

Joshua's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding? What happened?"

Matthew scowled. "I was forced to participate in a dangerous tournament because it was 'ministry funded'. Needless to say, we didn't do that again."

Joshua gave an incredulous laugh. "No kidding!" He hung over the newspaper, over Sirius's story. "Can't image what a place that suspends people's right to a trail without any reason would be like to live in. Must be a nightmare. Those poor sods."

Matthew nodded seriously, his eyes tracing the page. "You have no idea."

He might want to Call his godfather, teacher and girls over before it got much worse.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&&%%&

"They shouldn't have to go," Molly Weasley pleaded.

"It's an official Ministry declaration, Molly. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do about it." Arthur said. Fred and George nodded solemnly; they were about to leave to register with the Auror force.

Molly had started crying a while ago, but she knew there was no choice. Ron had wanted to go to, but she had stopped him.

"It's okay mum. We'll be fine. And we'll beat them." Fred said.

"For Harry." George added. That had become a mantra among the students joining the auror force who had known the boy, even casually. Lee Jordan had said it when the Ministry approached him. Then Bill Weasley, then Marcus Flint of all people, then it grew and grew, and began to include other names of people who had been killed by death eaters. This included Cedric and James and Lily.

Molly nodded shakily and gave both the twins a tight hug. "For Harry," she whispered. "Please, be careful."

The redheads nodded. Ginny watched as they walked up to the Ministry cars where Percy and Bill were waiting for them. She would have joined the Auror force if she was old enough, she wanted to destroy the Death Eaters who had killed Harry. She was ready to do anything.

There was something Dumbledore still wasn't telling everyone – Daphne had said as much when she had saw his expression during Harry's will reading. But she had no idea how to get him to tell, if Harry's death hadn't been enough reason what was?

She had a feeling that whatever it was, Severus Snape knew it. A single day after the will reading he walked into the Great Hall, looking like he hadn't slept at all, and resigned his position as a professor at Hogwarts due to 'other, important obligations'.

Without a word or giving anyone a chance to process this, he turned his attention to Amelia Bones, put a letter in her hands and said that he was sending her a notice about 'Voldemort's secret anchors'. Dumbledore looked shocked and angry, but Snape promptly walked right out the door without waiting for anyone's opinion to be vocalized.

The day after that, her former potions master appeared in at the Burrow with a squad of the highest-trained aurors the Ministry had to offer. He sat her down and asked her multiple questions about the Diary that had made her first year at Hogwarts a nightmare. He took a pensive memory, said something she didn't understand to the Aurors, and they all took their leave as abruptly as they had come.

She had looked at her father for answers, but he had said that the head of the DMLE had declared whatever Snape had told them 'Top Secret', so no one knew what it was.

The man had been on a warpath since Harry's death and nothing was going to get in his way.

Apparently, Sirius and Remus had joined him a day later. Both men had been running up and down doing things for the new Ministry and chasing Death Eater leads practically without sleep since Harry's funeral. She had asked them about it, but Sirius had merely patted her head distractedly and said "Ministry Business" before shouting for Kreacher.

Remus had approached Tonks a few weeks after the funeral. After much stammering, verbally backspacing and general incoherence that continued for a good three minutes he finally asked if she would give him a chance. Tonks had thrown herself on him and kissed him.

They got married a month later in a simple ceremony. Wartime encouraged people to marry young, should the worst happen to them.

Eventually her mother pulled her out of her grief and insisted Ginny go to school, but she couldn't focus on her work. Most other students couldn't either; most of them just tapped their quills on their parchment and stared out the windows, waiting for owls to come bearing news about Death Eaters or about their family members who were now suiting up to fight.

There was also the matter of Dolorus Umbridge, or Umbitch as she was rapidly christened. She was the last remnant of Fudge's government and smear campaign against Harry and Dumbledore; but the first time she called Harry a delusional liar she found herself pelted with textbooks, hexes and ink; she put both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor in detention which only heightened the abuse; her threats of expulsion rang hollow when everyone in the room simultaneously proclaimed that defending Harry's memory was worth expulsion.

Even the Slytherins got in on the act; after a month Umbridge was driven from the school by enchanted bludgers which threatened to smash her into pulp if she didn't keep running. And the students all exchanged high fives. Dumbledore had looked disapproving, but Minerva was pleased with this and gave a second desert that night.

Sure enough, the fighting started soon after. Eight Death Eaters teleported into Diagon Alley to cause some chaos and fear, only to be met with an auror patrol and the angry civilians.

Only one of them, burnt and bloody, managed to portkey away. The others were either killed in battle or given the Kiss, the Carrow siblings among them.

Dumbledore had objected to the deaths, but the new Minister of Magic – Rufus Scriugimor – had overridden him with the simple retort of, "For Harry." Ginny wasn't sure he entirely believed in that statement, but it showed where he stood in this debacle, which was more than welcome after Fudge. The action he had taken was undoubtedly saving lives.

On the Dark Side, Voldemort was furious with this show of defiance, and began to muster his followers. He had read the Ministry declaration and had been barking orders at his people ever since.

Underneath this anger was worry, he'd felt the destruction of one of his Horcruxes already, which made him fear that his secret had been discovered. With his principle financier, Lucius, gone and Narcissa not continuing to send him money, he was in a bit of a fix, though anyone who told him this would get Crucio'd. This resulted in him sending several Death Eaters to the locations where he had hidden his Hocruxes with orders to stand guard.

Then, three months after the Funeral and three months of failure later, he screamed that he would do things himself.

He took his five hundred Death Eaters and prepared to march on Hogwarts. There were plenty of children there; he'd force some of them into his ranks and kill the rest. They would be an example for what happened to those who defied Lord Voldemort.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%

The warning came from Hogsmeade, and the Aurors that had been stationed around the castle by Amelia Bone's orders immediately called for aide. The students had been pulled from their classrooms and shuffled into an escape hatch that Salazar Slytherin had built for the school all those years ago; only those of age were allowed to stay.

There was the exception of Neville Longbottom, who Dumbledore had taken a sudden interest in after Harry's death. Many had scoffed at the idea of him being important to the fight – 'the back-up chosen one,' many had taken to calling him scornfully. He would likely die if put in the field, her grandmother had said. Neville was shooed up to the Headmaster's office while the rest of the students were being taken to safety.

Many wanted to fight; several Aurors were detailed with making sure no one slipped back into the battlefield. Colin Creevy had to be all but dragged through the escape route, protesting the entire way. Blaise Zabini, Hermione and Cho Chang had also been redirected repeatedly almost as soon as the direction to leave had been given.

Ginny fell in step with Daphne and Astoria at some point; Daphne reached out and touched her hand in comfort. As they were hurried down the hall and towards the Floo, they thought about Harry, again. Cries of "For Cedric! FOR HARRY!" were echoing in the halls behind them, followed by a monumental crash.

The battle for Hogwarts had begun.

Ginny was fervently grateful that Fred and George had been at their training facility when the attack had begun, meaning that they would be in the reserves instead of in the thick of the fight. Bill was in the front lines, though, and she worried about her favourite older brother.

If only Harry was here, if he could see this...

"_I love you, Harry..." _Ginny thought. _"I don't want to do this without you...I need you." _

There was a brilliant flash from the ruby necklace she wore at all times, and a familiar tug of a portkey. Along with it was a warm feeling like the rush of an embrace. Ginny barely had time to register her surprise – and the fact that her friend's necklaces were doing the same – before she was spirited away.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

Ginny collapsed on a wooden floor, squeaking when Astoria landed on top of her. Daphne, having landed on her right, scrambled to her feet, looking around wildly.

There was a soft chuckle, a voice they never thought they'd hear again. "Sorry. I probably should have warned you; portkeys always made me sick to my stomach."

Ginny blinked, stood up, and slowly turned around, thinking she was either dead or dreaming, she'd gone mad under some unseen Crucio or passed out from stress, because it couldn't be-

"Harry?"

Matthew (nee Harry) gave her, Daphne and Astoria an awkward smile that he had given them so many times before and said, "Yeah. Hi."

There was a long pause. Suddenly Harry was tackled to the floor by three girls, sobbing and laughing and holding him tightly. The cat padded into the room and stared in confusion at the scene, before deciding that three more people just meant more who would spoil her.

Eventually the girls let him up for air, and Ginny asked the first question - "How?"

Harry sat up, looking a little dizzy, and said, "The goblins helped me fake my death. It was the only way I could see for getting out of this war alive and for getting You-Know-Who's attention away from my friends." He smiled a bit.

"Why didn't you tell us, you nearly killed us faking your death," Daphne said, tears at the edges of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, reaching up and brushing tears away from their eyes. "I didn't want it potentially leaking out, or I would have lost my chance."

"What about mum or Sirius?" Ginny asked.

"They're going to be worried we disappeared, Sirius has been on some top-secret mission since your funeral," Astoria added.

Harry nodded at this, "I gave you those necklaces so you can find me, I gave Sirius and Remus something similar. You can owl your parents, and we can let them know as soon as it's safe."

**End Chapter**

**Well? I thought we might need something a little more hopeful after last chapter.**

**Read and Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Fake It**

**Moon: Last chapter, everyone! I know, I know, short as hell, but this one was always meant to be short and sweet. this just finishes up the last few details and ends on a happy note. Enjoy! I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 4: End Of An Era**

The battle of Hogwarts was over in two days. There were a huge number of Death Eater casualties; only a fifth of the marked men who had marched on Hogwarts survived the end of the battle. The aurors had been using lethal force, and the Death Eaters had become overconfident on the fact that there would be no real resistance from any of their victims. Oh, how wrong they were.

Bellatrix Lestrange died in a duel with Bill Weasely, Kingsley Shackbolt, Mad-Eye Moody, and Minerva McGonagall. Fred and George survived the battle, which a surprising number of defeats on their name; Percy had come around and had helped them when they were in a fix.

Narcissa Malfoy, now Black, had made her decision after her husband had been locked up. She had ratted out as many Death Eater names as she had to offer. Evan Parkinson was one of the principle financers who ended up in Azkaban thanks to the information she gave.

Draco Malfoy was one of many children raised by Death Eaters who was being given a psychiatrist to break him from the dogma his father had impressed on him over the years. The person treating him reported that it would take a long time to break what he had believed for so long, but she didn't think that he was a hopeless case.

Rufus continued to drag the Ministry back into shape; he and Amelia Bones put in sweeping reforms to exorsize all remaining traces of Voldemort's beliefs from the system.

As for Voldemort himself, he'd been struck down by Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape after Neville drove the Sword of Gryffindor into the last remaining Horcrux. With one final scream the man who had terrorized Britain for so long was gone.

The cleanup afterwards proved to be more difficult, mainly because it dealt with one Albus Dumbledore.

Severus Snape had gone on record to explain the Horcruxes, their nature and how to destroy them when he began the search for them months before. When the Minister asked him how he came by this information, he had replied, "Albus Dumbledore had me acting as a spy within the Death Eater's ranks. I had known Lily Potter when I was a boy; she had meant the world to me but in a fit of foolishness on my part I drove her away. I wished to make up for this mistake by safeguarding her son in her memory when she lost her life. Dumbledore approached me, told me how Riddle had survived and asked me to help him with his war on the monster. However, if there was a 'war', he wasn't trying very hard to fight it. I wished to search for the Horcruxes as soon as possible but I was repeatedly stymed by the man, who I firmly believe at this point seemed to think that if he pretended the problem wasn't serious, it would magically disappear. He threatened to turn me out as a Death Eater should I disobey his wishes. However, the death of Harry Potter was the final straw for me – this had to end, whether the Headmaster wanted it or not."

Snape would later be awarded Order of Merlin, First Class, for his part in the defeat of Riddle. When presented with it, he broke down in real tears for the first time in twenty years and said, "That boy was my responsibility. I should have saved him."

Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, arrested Dumbledore three hours after Snape had given this testimony. The man gave a speech under Veristrum that said that he recognized that muggleborns and half bloods were necessary to strengthen the weakening pureblood lines, but to that end he needed as many purebloods alive as possible. His delaying tactics – the ones believed to have caused the death of Harry Potter – were a result of wanting to take Death Eaters alive to be 'rehabilitated'.

He then continued, with logic that baffled every expert in Dark Magic, that Harry had been an 'accidental' Horcrux and therefore had to die by the man's wand for everything to be complete. To this end he had sent Harry to live with his aunt and uncle and didn't demand that Sirius Black have a trail, despite thinking that there was something off about Pettigrew for months beforehand.

Dumbledore was thrown in Azkaban in record time, for someone who had once been a highly respected figure. Over Britain, people rejoiced the final, complete end of the Second Wizarding War.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

There was a polite knock at the door. Sirius paused from where he was entertaining Remus, Tonks and his new wife Hestia Jones and went to answer it.

He opened the door to see a very particular young man with black hair and green eyes standing in the doorway, with three girls right behind him.

Harry Potter smiled up at his godfather, happy tears in his eyes, "Hi Padfoot."

It was the most touching reunion seen in years.

**End.**


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